Determination of x-ray elastic constants using an in situ pressing device

The experimental determination of x-ray elastic constants are performed by in situ measurements of the dependence of the strain state in selected crystallites for different applied external compressive stresses. The use of compressive applied stresses instead of tensile applied stresses is of interest for x-ray elastic constant determinations for materials which exhibit brittle crack-like behavior, which cannot be loaded to high tensile stresses in, for example, four-point bending devices. The x-ray elastic constants for {146} α–Al2O3 are determined with the pressing device and compared to calculated as well as experimentally determined values which were tested in tensile loading devices.